Makedonska banka

Zaev was found guilty on Wednesday of falsely accusing Gruevski of being involved in the corrupt sale of Makedonska Banka in 2004 to Serbian businessman Jovica Stefanovic, aka Gazda Nini (‘Boss Nini') and for allegedly accepting a bribe of 1.5 million euro to expedite the deal.

The court hearing Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski’s slander case against opposition Social Democrats leader Zoran Zaev refused on Monday to accept the recording of the telephone call as evidence.

It also refused to question Gruevski’s former associate Den Doncev, a potentially key witness for the defence, whose voice is also on the tape, the opposition alleges.

Prominent anti-corruption NGO Transparency Macedonia, TM, a prominent anti-corruption NGO, condemned the decision by the chief prosecutor Marko Zvrlevski not to proceed with the case against Gruevki, who is accused of taking a bribe of 1.5 million euro to expedite the sale of Makedonska Banka AD to Serbian businessman Jovica Stefanovic, aka ‘Gazda Nini’ (‘Nini the Boss’) in 2004.

In an interview for state run MIA news Agency, Nikola Gruevski for the first time has denied involvement in a bank sale that the opposition revealed in late April.

“I have never taken a million-and-a-half euros in cash, nor have I in any other way  taken any other sum for the sale of Makedonska Banka. All the other accusations that come out of this are also untrue,” Gruevski said.